Torch and Flame
by Pengirl55
Summary: I always enjoyed Jane, so I decided to write her story. This is Jane's life before the Volturi. Please read and review.
1. Prologue

Prologue

**Prologue**

I stared out at all of the people watching me. Trying to beg silently with my eyes, trying to show how much I didn't want this, how much of a misunderstanding this was. But all of the eyes were glaring at me, filled with pure cold hatred.

I shifted in my bondage, trying to find the comforting face of my brother, but only winced in pain as the ropes burned my skin, and the wood dug deeper into my leg.

A dull chant started out in the crowd and slowly grew, piercing my ears and sending a slight shiver down my back.

But these were my neighbors, and if they wanted me dead, then dead is what I would be.

I set my face in a disobedient glare, and wished them all a slow painful death as the robed men carried their torches over and set the fire free to rampage across my skin.

**A/N: So, how was it? Should I continue with the story? **


	2. Calling All Angels

Chapter 1-Calling All Angels

**Chapter 1-Calling All Angels**

"Come on Jane, you _know_ you want to," he said, trying to get me to agree to some race. I knew that he would win, and so did he. That was mostly why he was begging me for this.

"No Alec, I don't wanna race right now," I whined, grabbing his hand to start walking down the street.

He gripped mine back, making me wince in pain. Incoherent grumbling escaped from his throat as a frown fell onto his slight features. I hated it when he was sad. I could never have any fun that way. But there was a way to cheer him up. It always worked.

"Jane, why are you smiling like that?" he asked, watching my face as we trudged down the street.

"Oh, no reason," I responded, trying to wipe the smile off of my face. Then I started humming. It was a little song that Alec and I had made up a couple of years ago. One of us would hum while the other would have to make up the words. As soon as we had some sort of solid song, we would dance and play, or pretend we were in a play. It was the greatest!

I would always sing the high parts, so that's what I started with, letting each note ring out softly through the deserted alley.

I quickly looked over at his face, trying to see if he was catching on to my plan. He smiled brightly, and started singing along, humming in some parts and adding in some gobbledy gook here and there. But the main part of his lyrics was a little poem we had known for as long as we could remember.

"Add feather and song,

Flight and beak,

And a bird is what you will get,

Flying high,

Into the sky,

Ready, and wondrous, and set.

Mix water and scales,

Bubbles and fins,

And a fish will end up in your land,

Swimming steep,

Into the deep,

Graceful, and slick, and grand.

Stir thought and strength,

Love and hate,

Together and see what will come,

Walking, talking, singing, dancing.

Oh, People!

I see we have some.

We-"

I stopped walking; there was something bright at the end of the alley. It looked like a man with some sort of cloak. That was all normal for our small Italian town, but he was sparkling! Like a jewel! At the end of this alley, there was a large pile of baskets and cloth. The sun was streaming down from the exact center of the sky, hitting the man's fingers and nose. I could just make out his legs behind the cotton, but he was mostly in the shadows.

Alec was behind me, twirling in circles as he continued with our song, being oblivious like normal.

As soon as I turned back to look at the strange figure, he was gone. How was that possible?

"Jane," Alec sang, stretching out each letter of my name. "Let's go play at the fountain." I didn't respond. I mean, how could I? A man just disappeared out of a dead end! It wasn't possible!

"Jane?" he said, leaning his head down to rest on my shoulder. "What're you staring at?" His voice had a joking tone to it, but I knew my brother, impatience would soon become the only tone in his voice.

I heard a quick sigh. "You do know that it's just a dead end and a wall, right?" he asked, obviously questioning my sanity.

I wrenched my gaze away from the place and nodded. Alec grabbed my hand and half dragged me out of the street and towards the center of town.


	3. Cue the Sun

**A/N: So, yeah. It's been 8 months, I know. This story has kinda fallen to the bottom of my priority list, but this is the chapter that I wrote today. I'm sorry, but don't have too much expectations. I have two other stories that I'm really working on now, and once they're done, this one will come back and I'll finish. Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters-they belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 2-Cue the Sun**

The center of the town was occupied by a large well. It was very deep right in the center, but thinned out in a large circle around the edge. If I were to stand in the water next to one of the walls, it would reach around my knees.

On the average warm day, kids would be playing in the pool, splashing and laughing, joking around with their friends. Mothers could be seen washing clothing or cleaning dishes. Men would congregate around the well to discuss whatever it was they discussed.

As we approached the center of congregation, I could clearly see the kids off to the side, playing in the water and running around on the dirt pathways. The loud chatter reverberated off of the surrounding houses, and the echoes of laughter had an almost ghostly sound.

Alec tugged hard on my wrist, pulling me suddenly left and right, contorting our paths to fit through the spaces among the groups of people.

I was able to catch little snippets of conversation such as

"…witch living out by the forest..",

"…said that the feather of a…",

and "…better be careful, always watch your…"

"Jane, stop standing and come on. The contest is starting!" Alec was standing in front of me, clutching a small wooden boat to his chest. That boat was his pride and glory; he had named it Arrow.

But today there was a small competition among the kids. Everyone had to make a boat that would sail on the town well; Alec had been anticipating this contest for a many days, and on every single one of those days he would bother me and continually talk about the contest. But he was my brother, and this was his passion; what could I do?

Alec grabbed my arm once again, literally dragging me forward into the pack of screaming children. Kids were yelling at each other, praising those they thought would win, and waving boats up above their heads in huge arks. I could feel Alec's grip loosen as his palms sweated in anticipation and nerves.

"Hi Alba," I said, waving to a small girl of my own age. She was the daughter of my father's cousin. The other kids in the town had never been very fond of Alec and me, but we were always as polite as possible. I saw her excited grin turn down in a disgusted frown while she glanced at me with disdain. I could feel the shock written across my face, but couldn't erase it.

Alec was now far ahead of me, in the midst of the throng. I could see the faces of excited children turn to those of disgusted onlookers watching a repelling show. Alec obviously couldn't tell, but I could clearly see the large bubble of space grow around him as he walked towards the fountain, his eyes clouded with anticipation.

A large boy, by the name of Dante stalked through the crowd, walking towards Alec with a devilish leer on his face. Dante had an impish personality, and he used his size to get what he wanted.

I tried pushing through the crowd, hoping to get to Alec and pull him away before Dante could reach him. But the people around me seemed to create one solid wall of flesh that couldn't be penetrated.

So all I could do was stand and watch as Dante's huge shadow engulfed Alec's body and pinned him to the wall of the well. My whole body was in complete disagreement to this idea; my arms wanted to swing and punch, while my legs wanted to kick, and I felt like opening my mouth as wide as it could go and screaming out to the heavens.

I watched like a coward as Dante crushed Alec's boat in his fist and then punched him with the shreds of the boat still between his fingers.

My legs were quivering as my muscles tightened and locked, ready to spring at the attacker.

I looked around with hate as all of the children watched the beating play out before them.

I barely heard the dull thud of flesh against flesh, for all I could hear was the screaming rage inside my head.

I barely saw the crude signs Dante made towards Alec, for all I could see was Alec curled up in a ball with the shreds of boat strewn about him and a puddle of blood slowly forming around his feet.

I begged Alec to get up and walk back to me, where I could protect him in the circle of my arms.

If only he would stand up. If only Dante would walk away. If only I could reach them, it would all be okay.

If only…


End file.
